We’ve handpicked the best eczema treatment creams in the UK that help soothe and calm the skin without making things worse
With no cure, eczema can have a significant impact on daily life and may be difficult to cope with physically and mentally so finding the best eczema treatment can make all the difference.
We recently spoke to experts to learn more about the different eczema types and what eczema looks like and in this guide, we’re rounding up the best eczema treatment options to help bring you some relief.
Each of these eczema creams comes highly recommended by skincare experts and consumers alike and has been proven to calm skin and keep flare-ups to a minimum.
We should point out that if you find an eczema treatment that makes your condition worse, stop using whatever product you’ve chosen, give your skin a chance to settle down and speak to a doctor or dermatologist if symptoms persist.
READ NEXT: Eczema: What causes eczema and can you ever truly to get rid of it?
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£17 | Buy now
Why we love it: The CeraVe Moisturising cream is a go-to eczema treatment because it’s a great all-rounder.
Not only does this protective moisturising body cream provide all-day hydration for dry skin, but the cream contains three naturally occurring ceramides.
Ceramides are your skin’s natural fats – or lipids – and they make up around 30-40% of the outer layer of our skin.
You can read more in our guide to ceramides, but in short, these lipids help to maintain your skin’s moisture and are essentially what holds the skin together in the way mortar does with bricks.
Elsewhere, this formula contains hyaluronic acid, which is essential in supporting the skin barrier and attracting and locking in hydration.
In our CeraVe Moisturising Cream review, our editor Victoria said:
“As soon as our skin was used to the cream, our complexion was the best it’s looked in a long time.” It reduced her redness and her skin looked less angry.
Plus, because it’s a thick cream, a little goes a long way which makes it great value for money.
See our science of moisturiser article or our What is hyaluronic acid guide? for more info.
Read our full CeraVe Moisturising Cream review here
£12 | Buy now
Aveeno Why we love it: Experts claim that oatmeal baths can relieve many skin conditions, and Aveeno has long been exploring the benefits of this throughout its entire skincare range.
In particular, oats have been found to soothe inflammation and gently exfoliate, while supporting the skin barrier, making them great for eczema.
The Aveeno Dermexa Daily cream – known as the Aveeno Eczema Therapy Cream outside of the UK – uses colloidal oatmeal as a key ingredient.
In fact, it contains what the brand calls its Active Naturals Triple Oat Complex, which consists of avenanthramides, oat oil, and colloidal oatmeal.
Avenanthramides are bioactive compounds found in oats and have been shown to help with itching and redness associated with eczema and dermatitis.
They can also help repair the skin barrier function thanks to their antioxidant properties.
Elsewhere, it contains ceramides and it helps to balance the skin microbiome.
This cream is a must-have to reduce the itching and irritation of eczema when it all gets a little too much to bear.
It revives dry, itchy skin; its nourishing formula works to restore the skin’s own protective function, and it provides an impressive 24 hours of moisture as part of an eczema treatment.
Read our Aveeno Oat Gel moisturiser review here
From £15 | Buy now
Why we love it: La Roche-Posay is certainly up there as one of our favourite skin care brands right now, and the Lipikar Balm AP+M did not let us down.
This is a hydrating, soothing balm for dry skin and is suitable for everyone, including babies from three months old.
The AP+M stands for Aqua Posae filiformis, and Microresyl. Both ingredients are unique, trademarked ingredients only found in La Roche Posay products.
AP grows naturally in LRP’s Thermal Spring Water – the flagship ingredient found in all LRP products – and has been shown to increase hydration and balance the “microbial diversity” of the skin.
Not having enough microbes, or lacking microbial diversity has been linked with poor skin health and it can cause damage to the skin barrier, particularly in people with atopic eczema and dermatitis.
Meanwhile, Microresyl has been shown to prevent the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus’ from latching itself onto the skin.
As Staphylococcus aureus is one of the biggest causes of skin itching and irritation for atopic-prone skin, Microresyl reduces the chances of irritation and thus helps with itching.
The triple-action balm penetrates the skin almost instantly to soothe the skin and provides up to 48-hour hydration.
The AP+M formula also restores the skin barrier function, reducing the frequency of dry skin flare-ups, and helping to rebalance the skin microbiome over time.
Read our La Roche-Posay Effaclar Cleanser review here
£13 | Buy now
Why we love it: The Balneum Dry and Itch Relief Cream has to be a top contender in terms of eczema treatment creams.
With so many big-name brands on the market, this cream deserves a top spot alongside those that have come before because it’s dedicated solely to improving the life of eczema sufferers.
Not only is it clinically proven to relieve itchy skin in five minutes or less, thanks to the use of urea, but this comfort lasts up to 24 hours.
Elsewhere, it contains an ingredient called Lauromacrogols – also known as lauromacrogol 400 or polidocanol.
This is a chemical compound that’s a mix of fatty alcohols (the good kind of alcohol, not the drying kind!).
They come from lauric acid which is used as a local anesthetic.
As a result, the Balneum Dry and Itch Relief Cream helps hydrate and soothe all types of dry skin, including those requiring eczema treatment and psoriasis.
There are a number of other great eczema products in the range too, including the Balneum Lotion and the Oleo Wash so we’ve linked to the brand’s Amazon homepage above rather than individual products.
If you just want the cream, click the link below to get the best deals.
£20 | Buy now
Why we love it: Ecooking is another beauty brand that’s making waves (we’re big fans of its eye cream and it recently featured in our best rosacea cream list), and its Multi Balm is a dry skin saviour.
The balm makes for the perfect ‘spot treatment’ cream or can be used as an all-over moisturiser.
It’s suitable for use on dry skin on the face as well as the body, too.
This balm has a softening and calming effect that banishes uncomfortable, irritated skin in no time, making it an ideal eczema treatment.
It’s ultra-hydrating, and super soothing – formulated with organic argan oil and shea butter, as well as natural vitamin E to hydrate cracked skin, dehydrated complexions, and dry lips.
Vitamin E has antioxidant properties that help to tackle free radicals, which are to blame for causing signs of premature ageing as well as damage to the skin barrier, and dry skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Alicia is a PR consultant and freelance journalist with more than a decade specialising in all things tech. In her free time, when not juggling three children, she writes beauty articles and can be found wining and dining writing food and drink reviews
